


Flying

by Lady_of_Lorule



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Acrobat Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson is Robin, Dick Grayson-centric, Dynamic Duo (DCU), Flying, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dick Grayson, Wally West - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23725735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Lorule/pseuds/Lady_of_Lorule
Summary: After a few death-defying stunts, Robin landed with one final flip and bowed. Superman laughed and applauded the boy.“Are you sure you don’t have super-powers? I couldn’t do half of what you just did.”Dick preened under the praise. “Thanks. Though I would trade you any day to be able to actually fly.”“Is that what power you’d want if you could pick?” Superman asked.“Without a doubt.”...Dick Grayson loves to fly.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Clark Kent, Dick Grayson & Wally West
Comments: 13
Kudos: 476





	Flying

“You are letting a child fight crime?” Wonder Woman asked, and Dick couldn’t tell if she was mad at him or B. Probably B, judging by the way she stared at him, ignoring both Dick and Superman who were also in the room.

“He’s my partner,” B said in that weird gravelly voice he used when he was in costume. “And he’s trained. You know I would never endanger anyone if I could help it.”

Wonder Woman did not look entirely convinced. Dick frowned. Bruce had warned him that the League might not accept him right away, but he hadn’t been concerned. Everyone liked him. Well, except for the robbers and gangsters he beat up at night with Bruce, but that was different. Dick  _ really  _ wanted Wonder Woman and Superman to like him. Not only were they Bruce’s only friends (not that he would admit it), they were superheroes. The  _ best  _ superheroes. He needed them to like him, or else they’d tell Bruce to make him stop being Robin, and he  _ needed  _ to be Robin.

Superman knelt down to get at eye level with Dick and the boy went wide eyed behind the white lenses of his mask. Superman was right in front of him, looking at him with his vibrant blue eyes, compassionate and kind. He was massive, double the size of Dick is every aspect, but the boy wasn’t intimidated. He didn’t seem scary, just nice.

“It’s nice to meet you, Robin,” he said.

“It is so cool to meet you!” he replied eagerly, making Superman smile.  _ He  _ just caused Superman to smile. In his excitement, he nearly forgot to use the weird Gothamite accent that Bruce insisted he use, since his natural accent was very identifiable. “You’re my favorite hero!”

“Is that so?” Wonder Woman said as she quirked an eyebrow and looked down. He had not expected her to be so  _ tall,  _ just as tall as Batman and Superman.

“No offense,” he hastily added.

“None taken.”

“Wait, Batman isn’t your favorite hero?” Superman asked with a vexed expression.

Dick laughed, loud and bright, and Bruce scowled. “No, I just help him out.”

“I still need to talk to you,” Diana said, glaring at Bruce.

He nodded, then squeezed Dick’s shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”

Dick rolled his eyes, but nodded. Diana and Bruce walked away from the zeta teleporter she had stepped through only a moment ago with Superman. Superman, however, stayed behind. Dick was not fooled. He knew that Superman was staying behind to check that he was a willing participant and Bruce hadn’t kidnapped him or something. Bruce had even warned him Superman and Wonder Woman would do this, all the way to predicting they’d separate them so Dick would be able to speak freely.

Superman sighed and then sat cross legged. In midair. Floating. Three feet above the floor casually.

Dick’s jaw dropped. “That is so freaking cool,” he breathed out.

Superman smiled. “Thanks. Do you have any powers?”

“Nope. Just like B.”

“So what can you do?”

Dick grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I have my own type of flying.”

Without further explanation, Dick broke into a run and launched himself up, up, onto a railing that should have been out of reach, flipping smoothly onto a higher platform. Superman shot up, clearly startled, watching with awe and a bit of respect as Dick seemed to defy gravity, scaling rope structures and then soaring through the air before agilely reaching the next hold. Superman hovered; he had to restrain himself a few times from rushing forward to save the boy. Robin didn’t need to be saved.

After a few death-defying stunts, Robin landed with one final flip and bowed. Superman laughed and applauded the boy.

“Are you sure you don’t have super-powers? I couldn’t do half of what you just did.”

Dick preened under the praise. “Thanks. Though I would trade you any day to be able to actually fly.”

“Is that what power you’d want if you could pick?” Superman asked, setting down in front of him.

“Without a doubt.”

There was something swift about the boy’s answer, like he really had thought about it. And there was a strange undertone, almost of sadness, but Superman couldn’t understand why.

A thought popped in his mind and a smile spread across his face. Dick looked up at him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

“Wanna go for a flight?”

* * *

“Ready...set...go!” Robin announced, waving his glove in lieu of a flag.

A swift breeze ruffled his fringe of dark hair as the speedster shot off in a flash of yellow lightning. Robin laughed, still unused to and amazed by the phenomenal abilities of the Flashes. He’d seen all the math and the science behind their “super-powers,” but he still found it hard to believe a human could be that fast. Superman was an alien, Wonder Woman was an Amazon, Aquaman was an Atlantean, but the Flash was human. Or maybe meta-human, but still. Human.

“Finish!” Wally crowed only two seconds later, skidding to a stop near the Boy Wonder.

“You went around the entire lake in two seconds?”

“Yup. Pretty cool, right?!”

Robin nudged him with his shoulder, making the redhead stumble and laugh.  _ “Incredibly  _ cool. What does it feel like when you’re going that fast?”

Wally shrugged, removing a snack bar super loaded with calories and tearing into it. “It doesn’t feel like I’m actually going that fast. It’s more like everything else slows down while I keep moving. It can get kind of creepy, actually. People look like statues at that speed.”

“Whoa.”

He grinned. “Yeah.”

Robin popped up onto the bench by the edge of the lake. It was completely dark out and there was no one else in sight. Their mentors had teamed up for a League meeting, but shut them out of it, so they’d decided to make the most of their mutual night off. They’d only met a month ago, but they’d become friends instantly. Both felt a bond, because of their double lives and their shared interests. They had the same favorite movies, shows, video games, everything.

“So you don’t regret zapping yourself with lightning, slipping into a coma, and terrifying your whole family just to get super speed?” Robin asked with a wry curl to his lips.

“Not one bit.” Wally sat criss-cross on the grass, polishing off his bar. Then a frown spread across his face. “Well, maybe the scaring my family bit. They were  _ really  _ worried about me. But I don’t regret doing the experiment. I mean, I’m a speedster now. Wouldn’t you do the same thing?”

He made a face. “Zap myself with lightning? Hell no.”

Wally laughed, leaning back on his palms. “Okay, maybe it was a bit crazy.”

“More than a bit, KF.”

“But it was for superpowers. Everyone wants superpowers. No offense. You’re pretty freaking badass without superpowers.”

“Thanks.”

Wally leaned forward, a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes. Robin eyed him with apprehension. “But if you could pick any superpowers to have, what would you want, if not super speed? There must be something.”

Robin hesitated, looking away, out over the lake and the lapping water. For a moment, he could pretend that he was the shore of the Mediterranean, and that his parents were laying on the sand somewhere behind him, enjoying a rare day off from their busy performance schedules. Then the moment faded, and he couldn’t see any similarity between the dark, lapping water of the lake and the aqua, sunset waters of the Mediterranean.

“I would want to fly. If I could pick any superpower, that’s what I’d want,” he admitted, looking back over at his friend.

Wally grinned. “Not a bad choice, but a little unoriginal. Anyways, super speed is  _ so  _ much better than flying.”

“No way,” Robin denied.

“Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you.”

Wally stood up, pulling his goggles back over his eyes. He strode forward, holding his hand out to Robin, shoulders squared and stance firm. The younger boy tilted his head back to look up at his friend.

“What are you doing? What is this?”

“I’m proving to you that speed is better than flying, and there’s no better way to do that than is. So, Robin, Boy Wonder, platonic soulmate of mine, would you like to go for a run?” Wally grinned.

“Fine.”

Wally cheered and before Robin could accept his hand he was lifted and swung onto Wally’s back. He latched on, arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist, tight as a vise. Wally laughed, rolling his neck and bouncing in place.

“Calm down. Running is fun.”

“Have you ever done it with a passenger before?” Robin demanded, suddenly apprehensive. Batman would kill him if he knew that he was doing this. Accepting a run with Wally was entirely different than going for a flight with Clark, and he knew it. Still, he didn’t see a way out of this now.

“Sure, when I have to clear people from a burning building and whatever. Just relax, and let the Wallman do all the work.”

He didn’t even have time to cuss before Wally shot off, faster than a speeding bullet.

* * *

“You’re okay now,” Robin promised, pulling down the blindfold of the blubbering child. “I promise, I got you. I’m just going to cut you free, okay?”

An explosion sounded somewhere off to the right and the boy jumped, sobbing harder. Robin didn’t even look over at it, trusting that Batman had it under control. He had only one task, and it was of vital importance. He wasn’t entirely clear yet on why the boy had been kidnapped and held in a warehouse by some of Penguin’s men, but he could figure that out later. Right now, all that mattered was getting the boy out of here and back to his family.

“Don’t worry about Batman,” Robin said, barely hearing the words coming out of his mouth as he started cutting through the boy’s ties. “He can take any of these guys any day of the week. I’d worry about getting back to your parents. They’ve really missed you, Matt.”

The boy was still crying, but now he was looking at Robin instead of at the violence at the far end of the warehouse. That was better.

“I bet you can totally get anything you want for Christmas now.” The ropes finally fell away and Robin wasted no time in hauling the boy to his feet. “I know what I would ask for: a more comfortable costume. Seriously, this cape is heavier than it looks, and the mask is just annoying. It’s like ripping tape off your face every night. What’s on your wish list?”

Robin had an arm around the boy and was hustling him across the warehouse floor, littered with broken glass and discarded weapons, batarangs and pocket knives and guns. He glanced around, the tech in his lenses scanning the dark for any more assailants, but Batman must have attracted all of them, because the way to the side door was clear.

“I-I wanted a Green Lantern costume,” Matt stammered, tears glistening in the odd lighting as they streamed down his cheek.

“Green Lantern, huh? Why him? Why not Superman, or Wonder Woman, or Martian Manhunter? Not that I have anything against GL, of course. Just curious.”

They made it outside, into a dingy alley strewn with needles and take-out food trash. Robin wrinkled his nose as the smell of human excrement wafted towards them, but he ignored it. They weren’t in the clear yet.

“I like Batman and Superman and the whole Justice League,” Matt said, his voice sounding clearer as his sobs faded, his attention successfully diverted. Robin was glad. The boy was able to walk on his own feet, which was easier than dragging a sobbing kid through the streets. “But my uncle is from Chicago, and the Green Lantern saved his life a few months ago. I wanna be a Green Lantern when I get older, and save people like he saved my uncle.”

“That’s what us heroes are for,” he quipped as they approached the end of the alley. He consulted his holographic map. The nearest cops were still two blocks away. Not ideal, but he needed to get Matt to safety. Batman would be fine on his own for a few more minutes. “Plus, Green Lantern has some pretty cool powers. But he has to be pretty smart and creative to use them. I bet you’d be good at that.”

“Do you really think so?”

Matt was looking at him with hope and awe in his eyes. A smile softened Robin’s face, and he ruffled the kid’s hair.

“Yeah, Matt. I think you’d be a great superhero. Just remember that you don’t need powers to be a hero. Batman and I both don’t have powers, and neither does Green Arrow, and we all make a difference.”

“But powers are really cool. I wanna have a ring so I can do the stuff Green Lantern can do. Don’t you want powers?”

Robin didn’t answer. He could see a cop car turning the corner, coming their way. They must have finally been responding to the explosions in the warehouse. He didn’t care. He grabbed Matt’s arm and broke into a half-jog, hailing the policeman. It came to a skidding stop next to them.

“Robin?” the policewoman asked, stepping out of the passenger side.

“This is Matthew Johnson. I believe his family is looking for him,” Robin told her. Her eyes went wide in recognition. Matt’s face had been all over the news for two days now. “I need you to get him back to the precinct and to his parents.”

“Of course,” she said. He sighed in relief. It was so nice when the police actually trusted him.

A hand latched around his wrist. “You’re leaving?” Matt asked, looking up at him with teary eyes.

He grinned. “Batman needs me. And you’re safe now. The police are going to get you back to your parents, and you’ll be safe, I promise.”

The policewoman put a hand on Matt’s shoulder and Robin shook himself free, backing up a few paces and slipping his grappling gun from his belt.

“One last thing,” he said, and Matt stared at him, red-faced and dirty and tired, but  _ alive.  _ He winked, aiming his gun. “I’ve always wanted to fly.”

He pulled the trigger and went soaring into the night.

* * *

“I hate living with a ton of people with superpowers,” Artemis grumbled, dropping next to Robin on the couch.

He laughed, careful not to disrupt the bowl of cereal he had balanced on his lap. “What’s the matter, Artemis? Did Wally eat all the food in the fridge again?”

“Yes, all that’s left is your disgusting cereal, which even  _ he  _ won’t touch,” she shot back at him, but he was just amused. The team gave him no small amount of grief about the sugary, unhealthy, genetically modified cereal he loved to eat, but he was largely immune to their comments. He liked what he liked. “That’s not what I’m mad about right now, though.”

“Wow,  _ not  _ Wally for once. That’s new.”

She huffed, burrowing in deeper into the couch. It was early in the morning, so early that school wasn’t starting for another few hours. They were the only two up yet after a late night stake out in the jungle the night before. Robin had been enjoying the peace and quiet, much more used to late nights than his team, and an old children’s cartoon was playing on the screen. Artemis squinted at it judgmentally, but didn’t say anything.

“M’gann just informed me that thanks to her telepathy she totally knows when Wally and I are making out,” she said matter-of-factly, a scowl on her lips.

“Yikes. I didn’t realize Miss M could sense that stuff.” His mind suddenly jumped to all the times he’d made out with Zatanna in the Cave when they’d been dating. He wasn’t sure how he felt about knowing M’gann could sense that.

“Neither did I. I guess I shouldn’t mind so much. I mean, I always knew that Conner could probably hear whatever we do with his Kryptonian super senses, but for some reason it’s bothering me that M’gann also knew.”

Robin raised an eyebrow above his dark shades. “It’s not their fault that they have slightly intrusive and creepy powers. And you know M’gann still doesn’t quite understand human relationships.”

Artemis nodded in agreement. They loved M’gann, but she was too used to Mars, where everyone was telepathic and therefore there were no secrets. She didn’t understand some of the intricacies of human relationships and the desire for privacy, but she was working on it. However, she often had lapses in remembrance.

“Yeah, I know. I’m trying not to be too annoyed with her, I know she didn’t mean to. It’s just...weird.”

He grinned. “Don’t pretend that if you had super hearing you totally wouldn’t eavesdrop on the whole team.”

“I’m not! Though I’d rather have telepathy. That would make cheating on tests so much easier. I mean, no wonder M’gann has perfect grades.”

He stirred his cereal idly. “Nah, telepathy sounds like a pain. I’m a traditionalist. I would want to fly.”

She snorted. “Of course you’d pick the most generic superpower. Everyone picks flying.”

“That’s because flying is awesome.”

* * *

“Conner told me that you guys hung out last weekend,” Dick said, grinning over at Clark.

The man rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I know that I was awful to him for… too long. And I don’t have a really good excuse or anything for it. But I’m trying to do better. I’m just glad that Conner’s willing to give me another chance.”

“Of course he is. He wants to have a better relationship, too.”

Clark fell silent, tilting his head up to look at the stars. Dick looked up too, at the vast expanse of black-blue with punches of light and a half-moon hanging high in the sky. He wondered what the Kryptonian could see from down here, on the roof of the Kent’s barn. Clark could probably see the Watchtower and the satellites orbiting Earth. Maybe farther than that. Maybe he could see the pockmarked surface of Mars from here, in Smallville, Kansas. Dick could only see the stars and the moon, and that was enough. More than a boy from Gotham was used to, really.

“Did— Did Conner say anything else?” Clark asked, that unusual hesitance entering his voice that Dick had only ever heard when they were discussing his clone.

“Just that he liked it. Hanging out with you. He seemed pretty excited about learning more about Krypton and his heritage.”

“Oh. I couldn’t tell if he cared when I told him that stuff. I just thought he should know. I remember how important it was for me to learn all that stuff.”

Dick stretched out more, the roofing digging into his back, but far from the most uncomfortable position he’d ever been in. “Who wouldn’t want to learn about an alien planet? I used to beg you for Kryptonian legends all the time. It drove B nuts.”

Clark laughed, shooting a look down at the farmhouse, where he was probably using his x-ray vision to spy on the inhabitants. Ma and Pa Kent, and one Bruce Wayne. Batman, Superman, and Robin had all gone on a mission that brought them within an hour of the Kent’s farm, so once it was wrapped up, Superman had convinced the Dark Knight to visit his folks and then to spend the night when it got late. Dick had a feeling Bruce had only agreed because he could tell that Dick wanted to stay.

“That’s because you always wanted the same one over and over again. Nightwing and Flamebird. You probably know it better than me at this point. Maybe  _ you _ should be the one to tell Conner it. You even speak Kryptonian, so you could repeat it word for word.”

“Well, first, you’ll have to teach Conner Kryptonian. Then we’ll see.”

“Why did you love that story so much? I don’t think I ever asked you,” Clark said, tilting his head, his signature curl falling across his forehead in a mimicry of his insignia.

“What’s not to love about it? A guy who loses his family and still chooses to do good, to become a hero, with his partner-in-vigilantism?” Dick asked, then snorted. “I mean, I basically just described half the League’s backstory.”

“Dick—”

“It’s okay, Clark. Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

He scooted a bit closer, so that their shoulders were brushing, and nudged the Boy Wonder. “Don’t apologize.  _ I’m  _ sorry. I should have realized...I should have realized. It’s just that you’re so  _ you  _ all the time. You’re funny and clever and you make everyone smile. I think we all forget that you’ve been through a lot.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Dick whispered, his words fading in the night. Clark wrapped an arm around him and squeezed, pulling the teen into his side. Yet again, he marveled at how easy it was to be with Dick, nothing like the fumbling relationship he had with Conner. The kid inspired everyone around him to be better, even if he didn’t realize it.

“I know. And your family would be so proud of you. Their own Nightwing.”

“Nightwing could fly.”

“So can you. In a different way.”

Dick shook his head, pulling away from Clark, and shivering in the cold night air without the Kryptonian to warm him up. “No. I can’t fly. If I could fly, I would have saved them and— and I  _ didn’t.  _ I didn’t save them, and they’re gone.”

Clark froze, his brow furrowing. He hadn’t seen Dick this upset in years, not since he was young and Bruce had just adopted him and he called Clark in, because he didn’t know how to get his new son to eat, and if a kid was going to listen to anyone, it was going to be Superman. And then he was suddenly reminded of their very first meeting, when Clark had asked him what superpower he’d want, and without hesitation, without consideration, Dick had said flight.

Oh.  _ Oh. _

“No one blames you, Dick,” he said as gently as he could. The teen didn’t look at him. “No one. Your family wouldn’t either. They were murdered. You were a kid. It’s not your fault.”

“I know.” There wasn’t much conviction in his reply, but Clark could tell that he meant it. “I know. It’s just hard not to think about it. About what else could have happened. About how it could have been different. We were called the Flying Graysons, you know? After they died, I thought that that name was nothing more than a sick joke. Now...I don’t know. I still love to fly. Is that wrong?”

Clark smiled, his eyes sad, and pulled Dick back into his side. He didn’t fight it. “No. I think that your family would be happy that you still love to fly.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so, too.”


End file.
